Japanese Class A 1/16

[Von Hilde]

Every day I find out more about them. The basic hull and tower of all the varients of the A class were the same. Its like the type VIIs with all the different add on modifications. That leaves the door wide open for a basic kit production with any exterior mods by the builder's choice. If you notice on the boats that were in Sidney harbor had that "Jules Verne" look, with the big net cutter affair, on the tower and the big sawtooth, German type bow rig,in conjunction with the unusual torpedo guard. (Wich, by the way didnt work out so well, as this particular boat was snagged, in the Sidney netting.) The Austrailians have a different system of numbers for the boats M24=I-24tounote that these boats have the full cage prop guards as well, like the Ha8. I believe they all had that configguration aft. The majority of the ones on display elsewhere were dammaged and discarded before restoration. I also noticed that in the pictures of some of the un recovered wreckson the bottom have the remminance of the double ring cage.The actual IJN designation for this boat is Ha14

[MFR1964]

I like the booze idea, alcohol will desinfect those germs, it's getting better after David's fatherly advice (still hate him).
I personally think that those Pearl Harbour boats had to meet specific demands for penetrating the torpedo-nets, later variants did not have the need for such things like the anti fowling cables, so they adopted a more simple design.
I'll go with the anti fowling cables, the more stuff on the boat, the better it is, had the same experience with my type VII, it kinds of dresses your boat up, it made me decide to go for the extended wintergarten conningtower on the type VII, this way i could place a wopping 8 20 mm guns to scare off those allied pilots.
Tomorrow i'll start up the SkunkWorks for some buildingtime, let's see if i can show some progress later this week.


Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

Manfred, Chicken soup and blackberry brandy. holistic remidy, actually works. Alligator tail meat stew as well, but you dont get much of that over there. Dont worry about catching up, I have slowed down, waiting on some small wheels for the anti fowling cable, tentioner pully. Contimplating the tower attachment points, now. I did get a 1/72 scale model from, Fine Models in Japan. It shows the detail hull plating and service hatches and pannels, positioning. Its rather inspirational, to look at. Also has different varients to build, with and without the fowling cables and prop guards, and bow torpedo guards. Evidently, the 5 Pearl Harbor boats, all were original design, but as the war progressed the later model "A" types were modified somewhat. Its not unlike building a U boat where each boat was slightly unique, and one representing a particular boat would have to research that boat to see what type of configuration. was proper. That being said, my boat will be Ha19.

[MFR1964]

Yes, DAD!!!!, hate you too!!!

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Manfred:

Drink your fluids, take your med's, and get to bed.

Your'e no good to me DEAD!

(good looking stuff, as usual ... I still hate you, by the way).

M

[MFR1964]

Von is running ahead of me fast, his advice for searching a 4" tube helped, i even found it on the attic, those cardboard tubes which David uses to send off his SD's, argghhh, all the time under my grasp, never thought about it.
And then came the Flue, last week i was knocked off my feet with fever, today i feel good enough to start up the computer, i'll show you what happened before the Flue.



First i scooped up this drawings from the web, some one took the effort to take some measurements, greatly appriciated.



Fastened the tower to the tube and started with imitating those tubes from both the access hatch and the scope, cutted some big diameter tube into pieces to get me the rounded parts.



At this moment the Flue got me, just started with making the reinforcement rod to get me a rounded front of the tower, still have to place the strip at the back.
Using this as a startingpoint for cladding the tower with sheet copper.


Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

When Mitsubishi, got the word to build the two "target" boats, they took a storage tank that the shipyard had already been producing. Basically found a big steel can about5 meters by2 meters, large enough for a man to stand in, and stuck a tapered front section( built in a different part of the yard) and a tapered motor section, built separately, as well. It was for opsec, as well as convienience. They were suppose to be target vessels, and were expendable, hence the rugged craftsmanship, and less than esthetic appearances. Here at the Yokosuka shipyard on Little Torch, we like to keep in the tradition, and follow the legacy. The Can I have to build a jig today, then it's time to switch Navy's . It's raining radios here, the back orders all caught up. Now I have more than I need. It's almost May, and the Germans need attending to. They are going to loose the war, 70 years ago.The dremmel died, so is hand file time for this puppy. Time to step away for a bit. I ordered another, and have three to send into Dremmel, for worn out slider switches, and cleaning. PIA to do it myself anymore.

[Von Hilde]

I judge a Craftsman not by his words, but by his WORK. This is outstanding stuff! For what it's worth, you have been elevated a bit in my opinion.

There! ... secure from gushing.

M

"As you were gentelmen, I will be in the area all day, Carry on"....... (TWEEEET! Ding! Ding!).....Now,....Sweepere, sweepers... duty section muster on the fantail.......

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Some more on the tower[ATTACH=CONFIG]30787[/ATTACH]have to figure out how I will mount it, before I go much further.

I judge a Craftsman not by his words, but by his WORK. This is outstanding stuff! For what it's worth, you have been elevated a bit in my opinion.

There! ... secure from gushing.

M

[Von Hilde]

Some more on the towerhave to figure out how I will mount it, before I go much further.

[Von Hilde]

here is a big picture of the port side step position. left foot step. starboard side is for the right foot, and is more forward position. this boat is the 18. it does not have the scope fairing or the anti fowling rails, which double as grab rails for climbing the tower. They were not put on that display, altho they were on it when she was raised. note the layers of the plating lateral to the officers position. the alaska boats show the plating clearly. side peep holes, are not oppositely concentiic either. They are slightly asque. port side is aft a few mm. Pilot sits eye level. Looks port with left eye and right with left eye, for lateral vision.

[Von Hilde]

Sheeting the riveted,armor plating to the tower.

[Von Hilde]

Manfred, Look what I foundHO scale and O scale railroad accessories around $3.50 each, I orderd one of each. 10mm-15mm for the antifowling cable pulley. Also found a small pulley in brass, but jewelry, 25mm $35 I'll go with the resin, but I had thought of making one from brass, if it were to function, with a miniature turnbuckle, but that would not be the case in the 1/24th model.

[Von Hilde]

My tower weighs 44grams right now, but there will be more weight with the anti fowling guards and the pully system. I kind of have to keep it light because of no external keel to put weights in, and it may tip over. I sheeted it with different gauges of aluminium sheet as well as trusty old beer can, in a few places.You will notice that the drawing, is different than the pictures of the Ha19. Periscope is slightly forward on the real boat, and not centered in the middle of the fairing, like the picture. BTW, the 19 is the boat in the Washington DC picture on the bond drive, and again, the color pic at the Nimitz museum. The crusty tower is the 8 boat, the one In New London, also the other black and white pic, being raised. Another issue, is the scupper holes, or slots at the skirt of the tower. Rivets and weld seams are well defined on the photographs, some are not included in the drawings. Im thinking of leaving the imperfections, like the voids and pits dents ect. When it gets the black It will look like the real deal, dented and dinged. 105mm just a bit over 4". If you can get pvc 4'' id that should get you close on the outside dia. Is that what you are going to use to make the plug mold?

[MFR1964]

Wow Von,
You are fast !!!!, what kind of plating did you use?, and what is the total weigth of your tower.
Me on the other hand, still on the hunt for the right tube, searched inside the local stores, nothing, only 100 mm, i need 106 mm, if i don't find the right diameter i'll end up with 100 mm and will fill it up until 106.
Still searching more pictures about the tower, like to see the details, i'll show you my lastest harvest,



The other one's are from a Class B type, but it seems that the tower is nearly the same compared to the Class A,




Manfred.